daily bible readings

Pride is really a cancer of the heart. It can grow undetected in the heart for decades before being diagnosed or revealed. And when pride is detected or diagnosed, it can be too late. Late diagnoses are often fatal.

Uzziah was diagnosed with pride in his heart and it proved fatal. “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” Uzziah became increasingly powerful and it was during this time that a malignant pride-tumour grew in his heart.

In 2 Chronicles 26:16, we read of how that pride was shown. “But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” It would be very easy to think to ourselves something like, “What’s the big deal? He only offered a little incense on the altar of incense.”

This is, of course, the very heart of pride. “I can’t see anything wrong with it, so it’s okay to do it.” Uzziah may have thought this very thought. He may have even had a godly notion, though perverted by sin, of wanting to please God and to honour Him by burning the incense.

Pride arises when we think we know better than God. God had stipulated very clearly the role of the priests in the Holy Place. Even the king of God’s people was not allowed to enter this Holy Place to perform ceremonial duties. Such duties were for the priests alone. When God stipulates how something is done, that is the best way to do it and often, it is the only way acceptable to God. Pride ceases to listen to God because the bearer of pride thinks he knows better than God.

Such pride often accompanies and allows the sin in our lives. We are tempted by sin and after falling to temptation, we begin to ask ourselves why this particular action is really a sin anyway. We begin to justify ourselves in this sin either by reinterpreting the Word of God or lying about our actions and intentions. With the excuses we make, we deaden our conscience to the cry of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to lead us back to repentance and holiness.

A little speculation with the example of Uzziah will help us to clarify how pride works in our heart. Uzziah was growing powerful and strong. God was blessing him immensely. HIs fame and fortune were spreading across the land and internationally as well. Uzziah may have had “godly” notions of wanting to please God. He knew that offering incense was a duty of the priests. In his growing pride, he may have thought something like, “I am blessed by God and clearly loved by Him. I want to thank God and worship God so I will offer incense at the incense altar. I am the king aren’t I? I am God’s chosen one to rule and lead?” Alternatively, he could have reinterpreted God’s Word in the following manner. “Surely, God didn’t mean the king of his people could not offer incense. The masses can’t because most aren’t educated. But, I am the king. I am the chosen one by God. Surely it’s okay for me to worship God by offering incense!”

When we are tempted by sin, pride causes us to reinterpret God’s Word or to self-justify our actions. It’s at this point that we need to challenge the sin and the self-lying. We need to cry out to the Holy Spirit to help us and rescue us. We need to be brutally honest with ourselves as to our intentions and the real and clear meaning of the Word of God. Lying simply allows sin. As we begin to challenge ourselves and to cry out to God, sin becomes increasingly difficult to justify and to dive into.

After Uzziah made up his mind to sin, he was confronted by the Azariah and 80 other priests in the Holy Place. “Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. 18 They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honoured by the Lord God.” 2 Chronicles 16:17-18.

Uzziah in his pride, refused to listen to the priests and raged at them. If we are hell-bent on sinning, our reaction to those sent by God to rebuke and correct us will be similar. We will be angry because we cannot have what we have set our hearts on. Better to set our hearts on God and His righteousness so that when we are rebuked and corrected we praise God and adore Him for calling us back to Himself so quickly.  Better to listen to God than to add to our already growing list of sins by raging at those who come from God to rebuke and correct us.

Prayer:

Adoration:

• Adore God that He is holy and righteous in all His ways and in all His words.

Confession:

• Take time to confess your sins to the Lord and to ask for forgiveness

Thanks:

• Thank God that when you are tempted by sin, you can cry out to Jesus who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet was without sin.

Supplication:

• Pray that the Lord Almighty would allow your church to remain humble and servant minded.
• Pray that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would continue to be the foundation of your church.

Discussion Questions:

1. Seek to explain why Uzziah’s actions in the temple were so sinful. Imagine you are talking to a non-believer.
2. How did the Priests confront the wayward king?
3. What do we learn from this passage about
   1. God?
   2. Holiness?
   3. Faithfulness